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2 Dead in Shooting at New York Hospital

A man shot and killed his wife in her hospital bed at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla Wednesday morning, then himself, police say. Roseanne Colletti reports.

(Published Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2018)

A 71-year-old man walked into Westchester Medical Center Wednesday morning and opened fire in a fourth-floor room, killing his wife in her bed before taking his own life inside the 652-bed hospital in Valhalla, officials say.

The pair has been identified as Richard DeLucia and Ann DeLucia, 70, a married couple from Yorktown. Each died of single gunshot wound.

In a note left at their home, Richard DeLucia said he was distraught over his wife's medical issues and wanted to end her suffering.

It wasn't clear why Ann DeLucia was being treated at the hospital on Woods Road. She was found shot in her hospital bed. The gunfire was confined to her room and the situation was under control quickly.

They were the only ones in the hospital room at the time and no one else was hurt. A 0.38-caliber revolver authorities say was used in the shooting was recovered at the scene.

Richard DeLucia had once owned a well-known Westchester catering hall, the Westchester Manor, called the Manor House during his time, current co-owner Enrico Mareschi said. Although DeLucia sold the venue to another owner roughly 15 years ago, he still came by occasionally until two to three years ago, Mareschi said.

News 4 spoke with Joel Brown who was working in the burns unit when he found out about the shooting. "I look outside the window of the burns unit and I saw a whole lot of nurses and doctors running outside on their cellphones," he said.

His colleague said she didn't hear an announcement about the shooting over the loudspeaker, rather she heard from a co-worker that there was an active shooter in the hospital. "We were in shock," she said.

Questioned about the response at a briefing Wednesday, authorities said three officers, one uniformed and two in plainclothes, were at the scene within 2 minutes. Authorities called it an "unfortunate incident," but said "the active shooter training and response was exactly the way it should be."

How the man got the weapon inside remains under investigation. Officials said there are no comprehensive searches of hospital visitors, but noted they have armed security posted at every entrance to the building.

According to the hospital's website, Westchester Medical Center treats more than 120,000 patients each year in every clinical specialty. It has six primary centers, including the Maria Fareri Children's Hospital. It's sprawling regional network serves the Hudson Valley and beyond, employing about 7,000 healthcare professionals including 1,200 physicians across its network.